2009 may go down in history as the year that E3 was reborn. In stark contrast to the past few years, the annual video game expo returned to Los Angeles in a big way, with giant banners for popular games such as Assassin's Creed II and Final Fantasy XIII lining downtown buildings.

Microsoft kicked things off on Monday with a pre-show Xbox press conference held at USC's Galen Center, showcasing several new games like The Beatles: Rock Band, Tony Hawk Ride, and Modern Warfare III. The company also showed off Project Natal, its camera-based answer to the WiiMote. The day was capped off by press conferences from Electronic Arts and Ubisoft.

Nintendo started off Tuesday's festivities with a press event at the Nokia Center, down the street from E3's central location in the LA Convention Center. The company showed off improved versions of the WiiMote and the Wii Fit board, as well as new games featuring Mario, Zelda, and a new version of Metroid that wowed the crowd.

Two hours later, it was Sony's turn. The company debuted the PSP Go, the new version of its portable gaming platform, along with its own prototype motion gaming controller. Also on tap were demos of Assassin's Creed II, Grand Turismo 5, and God of War III.

Check out the attached slideshow for images of the event. And keep checking PCMag.com for more updates from the showroom floor.

Brian Heater has worked at a number of tech pubs, including Engadget, Laptop, and PCMag (where he served as Senior Editor). Most recently, he was as the Managing Editor of TechTimes.com. His writing has appeared in Spin, Wired, Playboy, Entertainment Weekly, The Onion, Boing Boing, Publishers Weekly, The Daily Beast and various other publications. He hosts the weekly Boing Boing interview podcast RiYL, has appeared as a regular NPR contributor and shares his Queens apartment with a rabbit named Lucy.
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